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In the early 21st century, American workers grew increasingly unhappy with their jobs. Major corporations laid off thousands of workers as the U.S. economy sputtered.

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Public relations practitioners working in employee relations face tough communications challenges. Consider a recent survey: Less than 50% of employees said they were satisfied with their jobs. The least satisfied were the newest entrants to the workforce. Less than 39% of workers under age 25 said they were satisfied with their jobs.
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Employee communications must be candid, clear and credible.

In these uncertain times, public relations professionals must create communications that are:
effective believable persuasive

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In the 21st century, 60% of corporate CEOs spend more time communicating with employees. Companies that communicate effectively with workers financially outperform those that dont by up to 57%. The value of intellectual capital has increased. Employees are the most important assets in the organization.
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There is no single employee public.

An employee public comprises numerous subgroups, each with different interests and concerns. Smart organizations tailor messages and media to reach each specific subgroup.

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In general, todays employees are:

Younger Increasingly female More diverse More ambitious and career-oriented Less complacent Less loyal to the company

What does this demand in terms of communication?

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Management must ask hard questions about how it communicates with staff: Is management able to communicate effectively with employees? 2. Is communication trusted, and does it relay appropriate information to employees? 3. Has management communicated its commitment to its employees and to fostering a rewarding work environment?
1.
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Any organization concerned about getting through to employees must offer them:

Respect Honest feedback Recognition A voice Encouragement

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An organization also must offer employees:

A willingness to express dissent Visibility and proximity of upper management Priority of internal to external communication Attention to clarity A friendly tone A sense of humor
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For employees, it all comes down to one simple word:

Credibility. Employees want: managers to level with them. facts, not wishful thinking. the truth, especially in person. to know how theyre doing.

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Q: How can management build trust when employee morale is so brittle? A: By creating communications that are: Strategic Honest Open Consistent
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Internal communication audits

This is one of the best forms of research to lay groundwork for employee communications. Ask: 1. How do internal communications support the mission of the organization? 2. Do internal communications have managements support? 3. Do internal communications justify the expense? 4. How responsive to employee needs and concerns are internal communications? Audits help determine staff attitudes about their jobs, the organization and its mission.
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Online communications

These are more immediate than earlier print versions; they reach employees at their desks and are more likely to be read and acted upon.

1. 2. 3.

Examples include blogs, podcasts and wikis.

To be effective, social media must: have a business purpose. be entertaining and informative be composed of riveting content.

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The Intranet This is like a specialized Internet just for employees.

When designing a site, remember: to consider the culture. to set clear objectives and then let it evolve. to treat it as a journalistic enterprise. to market, market, market. to link to outside lives. that senior management must commit to it.

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Print publications The advent of online internal communications has been hard on print publications. Yet, print defenders argue that print still plays a key role.

Desktop publishing gives internal editors greater control of design, layout and illustrations.
Many entry-level public relations practitioners work on writing and editing employee newsletters.

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Bulletin boards Are of the most ancient of tactics. They have made a comeback in recent years.

Boards are now being used to improve productivity, cut waste and reduce accidents on the job. They are repackaged into a more lively and visual medium. Be sure to keep your bulletin boards current. One person should be assigned this task.

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The suggestion box: These can still work well. Make sure that managers will read the suggestions and act on them.

Town hall meetings: Large gatherings of employees and top management, where no subject is off limits. Open dialogue is the goal.

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Internal video This can be highly effective. Consider the impact of a 10minute video of an executive announcing a new corporate policy compared to print or audio.

Burger King, Miller Brewing Co., Ford and Southwest Airlines have all used internal video successfully.
Examine internal needs and plan thoughtfully. Finally, produce the best quality video possible.

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Face-to-face communications Despite the social media revolution, the best employee communications vehicle is face-to-face, preferably with a supervisor.

The majority of employees list supervisors as their preferred source of information.

The value of supervisor meetings lies in their substance, regularity and candor.

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In many organizations, the grapevine dominates employee communications. Public relations professionals must work to dispel rumors quickly and frankly. Management can often use the grapevine to its advantage as an internal communications vehicle.

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What type of employee communications are you familiar with? What do you think the intent of the publication and/or communication was? In your estimation, was it successful? Why or why not?
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Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

In the 21st century, organizations have no choice: They must build rapport with and morale among employees.

The best defense against the grapevine is a strong and candid employee communications system.
Effective employee communications requires openness and honesty from senior management.

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We can afford to lose money even a lot of money. We cannot afford to lose reputation even a shred of reputation. Warren Buffett
CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

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Meet the New Boss

Review this case on p. 203. As a class, discuss: What do you think of Zells new handbook, and might there be legal problems with it? What do you think of the CEOs response to the photographer, in terms of employee relations and the ethics of journalism? For more information on this case, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/business/medi a/17paper.html
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